Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am has donated $780,000 to The Prince’s Trust, the charity organization run by Prince Charles.
The money, donated through the musician’s i.am angel Foundation, will go toward providing the U.K.’s disadvantaged youth with education, training and “enterprise schemes,” the Trust said Thursday.
will.i.am, who appears on the British version of the singing competition “The Voice,” said his gift to the charity will help underprivileged kids in England gain essential technological knowledge as they prepare to enter the workplace.
“As a judge on ‘The Voice,’ the people of the U.K. have welcomed me into their sitting rooms week after week and I feel very much at home here,” the musician said. “Working with The Prince’s Trust, I am joining the mission to help transform the lives of disadvantaged young people living in underprivileged neighborhoods in the U.K. My donation to The Trust will help these young people build skills that are vital in today’s and tomorrow’s job market including technology and computer knowledge.”
The musician went on to say that he can sympathize with the children that will benefit from the trust, given his own background.
“I grew up in East Los Angeles, one of the most under-served and tough neighborhoods in America. My life could have turned out very differently if it were not for the support and encouragement provided by my single working mom, my uncles and my teachers who encouraged me to dream, and to pursue my goal of getting into the music business,” will.i.am said. “My family made sure I understood that getting a good education and hard work were key to turning my dreams into reality and beating the odds that come with growing up in a disadvantaged situation.”
